"Which way to Thailand?", we asked. He moved out of the doorway, raised a crooked hand and pointed. Our eyes followed his outstretched hand. He was pointing down a long dark road. Groaning, we saddled up. Apart from the solitary old man, nothing or no one seemed awake. Or maybe, because it was pitch black, we didn’t see another soul. Memories of being stranded on the roadside at 4 a.m. in Yangshuo, China came rushing back and now, just as then, we cast constant, furtive glances over our shoulders. Far ahead in the distance, lights beckoned. Emerging from the darkness, we entered Malaysia’s Padang Besar immigration compound squinting in the brilliance of the white fluorescent lights. The immigration officer stifled a “what the…” but his ‘bugged-out’ eyes indicated his sheer surprise at our sudden appearance. He
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